Water heater



June 9, 1931.

T. A. RONSTROM WATER HEATER Filed June 13, 1927 v Patented June 9, 1 931 UNITED STATES THOMAS .A. RONSTROM, OF'CHICAGQ II ILI NOIS i i WATER HEATER,

Application filed June 13,

My invention relates to an improvement v it is desirable to connect the water system with a source of hot water supply.

The primary. object of my invention is to provide a storage heater having a maximum area of heating surface.

.A further object of my invention is to provide a heater of the class described in which the products of combustion from the burner with. which-the heater is equipped will be brought in intimate contact with'the heating surface during its entire passage through the heater, so that the greatest possible percentage of the heat generated in the combustion chamber maybe transferred to the water within the tank. A still further object of the invention is to provide a heater which will be unusually durable in use, which will not require repairs and which will give'entire satisfaction over along period. a

A still further object of my invention is to so construct a heater that condensation is practically eliminated or at least reduced to such an extent that the disadvantages of the same are of no consequence. 7

With these and further objects in view I will now proceed to describe the preferred embodiment of my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a vertical section of the heater assembly; 7 Fig. 2 is a horizontalsection through the heating drum or disk, as it is sometimes called, the section being taken on the line 22 Fig. 3; a

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the heating drum or disk, the section being taken on the line 3-3 Fig. 2;

-Fig. 4 is a cross section through the hot water circulating connection, the section" being taken on the line 41- 1 Fig. 1;

4 Fig. 5 isa detail view in side elevation of one of the sections which make up the hot water circulating connection,

sections shown in Fig. 5;

,rivets lt to the sidewall.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section of one of the 1927. Serial No. 198,565.

Fig. 7 is another vertical section of one of the sections shown in Fig. 5, showing a modified form, and a Fig. 8 isa vertical section of the form shown in Fig. 7 taken on a different side.

Referring now to the drawings in detail 5 represents the tank or boiler, as the case may be, the same being made as is customary with heaters of this type but, of course, modified in several particulars to accomodate the assembly of the invention.v The tank is equipped with a dome-shaped bottom 6 having skirted sides 7 connected to the dome 6 by rivet-s, boltsor the likel8, which are em-' ployed for securing the flanged side9 of the dome 6 to the upper edge'lO of the skirt 7. The edge 10 in this connection is made with a diameter smaller than the skirt 7, so as to accommodatethe thickness of the flange 9- The side wall of the tank 5 extends down over'the skirt 7 and the lower edge thereof is reinforced by a band or ring 11 so as to make a rigid mounting for the legs 12.

The top of the tank '5 is made with a dome-shaped cover13 which is secured Housed within the skirt 7 below the dome 6 is a heating drum 15 or disk, as it is sometimes called, and for convenience Twill refer to the same as a heating drum.

The drum will ordinarily be of casting having a convex bottom 16 and a modified conical top 17. Connected centrally of the modified conical top 17 is a hot water ,circulating connection 18 the same suspending the top below the dome-shaped bottom 6;

Communicating with the bottom of the tank 5 isa cold water connection 19, the same comprising a short length of pipe projecting into the side of the tank through an opening 20 with the fitting 21 on the out.- side of the tank connected to theconne'ction 19 at one end and with a threaded nipple 22 at the opposite end. The nipple 22 15* threaded into the side of the drumi 15, so

" that .the water in the tank may circulate into the drum to be heated thereby; Any suitable fitting will be satisfactory for this cold water connectionlso-long as thesame is water tight and will supply the necessary tank, I ordinarilyruse a flange bushing 23 with internal'threildS for thereception [of thethreaded nipple 24;. 'The flange of the bushing may be riveted to the side of the tank, as shown.

i w ll thu pass of hrough h fl and $111.06

tained. therein v ry q The construction of the drum is of considerable importance and I have found that to give a maximum efliciencyitls best to make the same with an annularanternal baflie=likewall disposed concentrically of the drum so that the water entering the drum through-the nipple 22 of the fitting will be deflected in opposite directions aroundthebafile 25. As a matter, offact the part 25 is more than a baffle. It is in reality a yertical annular'wall which exfrom -top to bottom of the drum and internally divides the same into two coin- ;niunicating water compartments, the outer compartment directly communicating with the intakein the side of the drum inner compartment directly communicating with the water outlet inthe drum.

-T-he -oppesi e s d of th h m that" of the waterintake is open and oppos te this opening is a deflector. 26' to direct the water into the area defined by the baffle 25, and in this way'water entering the drum will'be d'vided into two separate streams and circulated throughout the outer compartment thereof before. it enters the inner col 1 art nen isposed directly in front of the water intake .011 the side of the baths 2:) is a de flector'27. Positioned Centrally of the drum 5 beneath the convex v i gas heater28, the burner .end 29 thereof being p d with radial jets e n being. closed. This developes a radialiflame, so to speak, which is spread out over the convex bottom of the drum so that: not only is the entire surface vof the drum bottom subjected to the burner flame and the top and heat, but the flame practically envelopes the whole drum andheats the water con- 'TlllS 15 pardistributed ticularly' true since the water is throughout the area of the drum by the baffle 25 as it is introduced therein.

' The hot water circulat ng 'con ecti'on 18 extends vertically through the flue 30. lhe

flue in turn is extended centrally and vertically through the tank 5,having an open lower end in connsn ui ii cation with a central open n 1 11 e p {of t dom The Prod ts. 9f c mbustion f 119 9 ta-nk,' he wa r; des re see e l 3191111116 and the 7 bottom 16 thereof is flanged opening in-the tank and reduce the diameter of the flue to extend through this flanged opening, so as to provide an abutt ng annular shoulder, as at 33. The end of the flue and the flange of the opening in the top 13 may be riveted together, as at 34.

The modified conical top 17 of the drum is made with a central opening for the re.- ception of a pipe fittingg to which is connected the flrst one of'a series of pipe-like sections which inake up the "hot water circulating connection 18. "These pi1Je-;l il e sections are joined together by nipples 36 and each one is preferably ofcasting having either four, three or a pair of internal radially projecting pockets 37, V These-pocketsnot only projectradia lly internally of the sections' to accommodate water, 1 circulating through the hot water circulating connection but they also provide external heat absorbing projections on the {sides of-"the sections which project radiallyiwith respect to the flue. They are preferably arranged in staggered relation, that is to ,say,'-t-he pockets in one section are staggered with relation to ,the pocketson the adjacent sec tion.

The water passing through the hot water circulating connection thus takes a tortuous course and the extra heating surface provided by the projections heats the'water to much better advantage. The products of combustion in passing through the flue are deflected by the projections to the sidewall oft-heflue..

The top of the hot water circulating connection terminates with the nipple and a short pipe length '38 which extends through an opening in the pipe 32;and is fitted to a F 39. Conneetedto this T 3-9 is a 'hot water service pipe 40, the opposite end of the-T 39 being equipped with a nipple 41 which projects into the top 13 of the tank to serve as hot water return. The nipple 41 in this respect is threaded into a flanged and internally threaded connection 42 which is riveted as at l3to the top '13 of the tan-k.

'With the assembly described cold 'w-ater inlet pipe 4:4: as the water isdrawn off the then up through the hot water circulating een iec i n .8 e h 3. andi t the ta k 7 through the returnAl will be introduced into the tank through the Hot water may be drawn from the tank through the servicepipe which is connected to the T 39 opposite the return 41.

As a result of the construction of, this device the heat is transferred to the Water within the tank both directly, through the bottom of the tank and the side wall of the flue pipe and indirectly by the influx into the upper part of the tank of water heated during its passage through the heating drum or disc, and the connection which connects said heating drum with the top of the tank.

The heating drum, which is closest to the source of heat and, therefore, may be termed the primary heating element, communicates with the lower part of the tank, in which the temperature of the water is comparatively low.

In order to simplify the connection of the heating drum to the lower part of the tank and to leave the entire lower surface of the same exposed to theheat during operation, the cold water intake pipe connects with the sides of the heating drum instead of the bottom which is usual in heaters of this type.

The cold water intake and the service connection are altogether'independent of the circulating means and function independently whether the water is heated or not.

The circulation of water from the lower part of the tank through the heating drum and its several connection pipes to the up per part of the tank is also independent of the withdrawal of water from the-tank. It commences as soon as the gas burner is lighted and ceases as soon as the gas is turned off, regardless of whether the water is being drawn from the tank or not.

Obviously anyone skilled in the art may make changes in the arrangement and cletailed construction of the assembly described without departing from vthe spirit of the invention defined by the sub-joined claim and I, therefore, donot wish to be limited to the particular form described.

I claim:

A water heater comprising atank and a combustion chamber thereunder; a fine extending from said combustion chamber vertically through said tank; a heating drum in said combustion chamber, the top of said drum being adjacent and substantially parallel to the bottom of said tank; a circulating pipe connected with the upper part of said drum, extending upwardly through said flue and connected at its upper end to the upper portion of said tank; radiating hollow arms on said pipe at various levels, the arms at each level being staggered with respect to the arms at adjacent levels; a pipe connecting one side of said drum with the lower portion of said tank; said last mentioned pipe extending radially outwardly through the side wall of said combustion chamber and then upwardly and radially inwardly into the lower portion of said tankpositioned closely; adjacent the bottom of 7 said drum and provided with radial open ings projecting flame substantially parallel to the bottom of said drum. y

In witness that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I aflix my signature this 7th day of June A. D. 1927.

THOMAS A. RoNsTRoM. 

